Arizona residents and Americans across the United States continue to feel the pressure at the pump as the average price of gas hovers just over $4 per gallon.
The national average price per gallon is $4.12 as of April 22, according to the Gasoline Misery Index. In Arizona, the average is $4.56 per gallon. The latest Gasoline Misery Index shows Americans will spend an average of $646 more on gas this year than they did in 2021. In Arizona, residents will spend an average of $764 more a year.
The Gasoline Misery Index tracks how much more (or less) the average American consumer is paying for gasoline on an annualized basis, according to the Index’s website. Numbers are compiled using gas price data from the American Automobile Association (AAA), average fuel efficiency (mpg) data from the U.S. Department of Energy, and average miles driven from MetroMile.com. The Index tracks the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline and adjusts using the average miles traveled by the average miles per gallon of American cars.
In January 2021, the national average price per gallon of gasoline was $2.33, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). It has increased nearly 77% when compared to Friday's national average price of $4.12. Americans are spending an average of $940 more per year on gasoline today than when President Joe Biden entered office, a difference the Gasoline Misery Index refers to as the ‘Biden Misery Index.’
On April 12, Fox 10 News reported that Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema had an unassuming response to the country's high gas price problem.
"The reasonable way to address what is going to be an oil shortage in America is for us to responsibly increase our own domestic oil production, " Sinema said at a luncheon for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Democratic senator, who is often at odds with the progressive wing of her party, Fox 10 reported, called for an "all-of-the-above energy strategy," which generally means promoting the production of both renewable and fossil fuels. She said dependence on foreign oil jeopardizes security for the U.S. and its allies.
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly pushed Congress to pass a gas tax relief bill in March, according to KOLD 13 News. Kelly’s bill would suspend the 18.4 cent per gallon tax for the rest of the year.
According to the EIA, domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 3.5 million bbl to 233.1 million bbl last week. Gasoline demand increased slightly from 8.5 million barrels a day to 8.73 million barrels a day. Although supply and demand factors would have typically supported elevated pump prices, the fluctuating oil price continues to be the main factor influencing prices at the pump.
Prices remain high, but these recent numbers are a slight drop from record high prices.
“As the days get longer, the weather gets warmer, and pump prices dip from their record highs, consumers feel more confident about hitting the road,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson, in a statement. “But these lower pump prices could be temporary if the global price of oil increases due to constrained supply.”
See more at https://gasolinemiseryindex.com.